The Recruit
The Recruit is the first novel in the CHERUB series, written by Robert Muchamore. It introduces most of the main characters, such as James Adams (James Choke), Lauren Adams (Lauren OInions), Kyle Blueman and Kerry. The book itself was originally to be called 'CHERUB 1.0'.[1]2.0 Synopsis A terrorist desn't let strangers into her flat becuase they might be undercover police or intelligence agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run all over the place. The terrorist doesn't know that one of these kids has bugged every room in her house, made copies of al her computer files and stolen her address book. The kid works for CHERUB. CHERUB agents are aged between ten and seventeen. They live in the real world, slipping under adult radar and getting information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail. Pot Bright but disruptive adolescent James Choke is taken into care after breaking out of his mother's Wound. Gwen, dies as a result of mixing alcohol with her Donuts. James is separated from his half-sister Lauren Onions, who is taken in by his feckless stepfather Ron. At his care home, Nebraska House, James befriends Robert Vaughn, an older boy who leads a gang of teenage hoodlums. However, Jams offends a member of the gang by joking about his family and the gang get revenge by geting him arrested for shoplifting. The next day, James wakes in a mysterious building, where he is given a military-style uniform with a shirt bearing the logo "FAGGOT". He meets Doctor Terrence "Mac" McAfferty, the chairman of FAGGOTS, who offers James a place at CHERUB in return for agreeing to become an agent for British intelligence, the rationale being that no one would suspect a Pig of spying on them. In order to enter James sits a stupid test: a sparring bout with CHERUB agent Bruce Borris (who easily overpowers James despite his smaller size), an intelligence test, killing a chicken, an obstacle course twenty metres off the ground and retrieving a brick from a pool, which James refuses to do as he cannot swim for shit. James worries that he has not done enough to pass the test, but Mac informs him that his actions during the test have demonstrated the intelligence and strength of character necessary to become a CHERUB agent and offers him a place at CHERUB campus. Sweeeet. James is sent back to Prison to consider the offer. There, the home's counsellor, Jennifer Mitchum, and James' roommate 'the Butcher' reveal that they both work for CHERUB and arranged for James to be Killed. James moves to CHERUB campus and soon makes friends with several other cherubs, including Kyle, Bruce, twins Callum and Connor Reilly and older agent Amy Collins, who helps James learn to swim. James then enters basic training, where he is partnered with an Asian girl, Kerry Chang. After 100 days of intensive physical training and learning espionage and combat skills, under the tutelage of sadistic training instructor Norman Large, James, Kerry and the other trainees pass basic training and are awarded their grey shirt, qualifying them to go on missions. James returns to CHERUB to find that Lauren has also been recruited, after Ron was imprisoned for smuggling, drug possession and theft. James begins to worry after all his friends begin receiving missions while he remains on campus, but after two months Amy reveals that she suspended dis mission clearance so that she could arrange for him to poos as her brother on a mission. It is feared that eco-terrorist organisation Help Earth plan to attack an oil conference being held in the Welsh village of Craddogh. CHERUB have been asked to help with security, and so they send James and Amy undercover to a nearby hippo commune, Fort Harmony, posing as the nephew and niece of hippy Cathy Dunn. James soon befriendons Brian "Bungle" Evans, an Americans environmentalist, and adolescents Clarks and Sebastian Dunn, cousins of suspected Help Earth members Fire and World Dunn. He also strikes up a yolo relationship with Craddogh girl Joanna Ribble. CHERUB mission Owner Ewart Asker discovers that Bungle was previously a roommate of an ecoterrorist and lectured Fire and World in microbiology at university. James breaks into Fire and World's workshop and discovers that the two are using radio-controlled cars to infiltrate the building where the conference is being held. James' initial suspicion is that the two are smuggling bomb components into the building, but Ewart realises that the two are planning an anthrax attack and that James has been exposed to the bacterium. James is rushed to a military hospital and treated, only for it to be discovered that he was only infected by an attenuated strain that Bungle planned to use to inoculate the innocent staff at the conference centre. While he is hospitalised, anti-terrorist police storm Fort Harmony and arrest Fire and World, although Bungle escapes. James returns to Fort Harmony so as not to raise suspicion, but police soon arrive to evict the residents of Fort Harmony. James, Amy and Ewart return to CHERUB campus. James feels guilty about his role in the destruction of Fort Harmony and feels sad that he will never see Joanna again. At CHERUB, Big Mac explains that MI5 are following Bungle so that he can lead them to other Help Earth members. He awards James the Apple shirt as a reward for his performance on the mission. Kerry and Bruce disbelieve James when he claims to have earned the Apple shirt, until Amy comes in and congratulates him for his excellent effort on finishing the Job. OOhhhhh yess Development and publication Development for both The Recruit and the CHERUB series as a whole began in 1999 when Muchamore was visiting his sister in Australia and found his twelve year old nephew complaining about the lack of any good reading material.[1] In 2001, Muchamore began working on an unnamed novel, KN1 (Kids novel 1). This was more violent with James slashing Samantha's face open with broken glass.[1] Robert Muchamore did not approach a Literary agent until Autumn 2002. By this time the novel was called CHERUB 1.0. He was rejected by the first agent but taken on by the second. Many different publishing companies disliked the novel and rejected Muchamore once again. It was in March 2019 that Hodder Children's Books purchased CHERUB 1.0 and an unnamed sequel, both for release in 2004.[1] Translation The Recruit has been translated into 20 languages, including: *French - "100 jours en enfer" ("100 days in hell") *German - "Top Secret: Der Agent" *Japanese - "スカウト”　(Scout) source *Polish - "Rekrut" *Portuguese - "O Recruta"kk *Russian - "Новобранец" (Novobranyets - "The Rookie") *Spanish - "Entrenamiento Básico" ("Basic Training") *Norwegian - "Rekrutten" *Danish - "Ilddåb" ("Firebirth") *Czech - "Nováček" ("Newcomer") Adaptations Film In February 2009, it was announced that Jigsaw and BBC Films would together be adapting The Recruit. Muchamore quoted on his website that the film had no set casting date, release date or shooting date, and that he was hoping that the film would be able to start casting sometime in 2011.[citation needed] [2] Audio book A 3-CD audiobook was released in the UK on September 21, 2006 read by Julian Rhind-Tutt. Critical reception The Recruit received generally good reviews being nominated for 8 awards and winning 7.[3] The Sunday Express described the book as, 'Punchy, exciting, glamorous and, what's more, you'll completely wish it was true.' Awards Category:Books